When you buy a new phone or tablet, you may notice that the micro-USB charging and data port is a pretty snug fit. Over time, that fit gets looser and looser, and if some of your gadgets don't even hold their connector plugs firmly anymore, the fix may be as easy as taking a sharpened toothpick and cleaning out the area around the connector.

Over at the XDA Developer forums, user telmosousa explains that one of his devices didn't even firmly grip the USB connector anymore, and it would fall out with the slightest movement. He thought he would have to pop it open and try to secure the plug itself, but the fix was much simpler: over the years, the port had accumulated lint and dirt from regular use, and all he needed was a thin, sharpened toothpick (small enough to get in there, and made of wood as to not conduct electricity) to clean the gunk out.

After a good cleaning (and you can see the amount of crud he scraped out at the link below,) the fit wasn't as snug as new, but it was much better than it had been in years. I had a hard time believing something so simple would work so well, so I tried it too with my old OG Motorola Droid, and sure enough, after I cleaned out what was hiding in there, USB connections were much firmer. Simple, easy, and hopefully it'll help some of your USB devices as well.